Overview (3)

Mini Bio (2)

Korean-American character actor Philip Ahn played hundreds of Chinese and Japanese characters during a long career. He was born in Los Angeles in 1905 (though 1911 is the year usually given, U.S. government records confirm that Ahn was born in 1905), the son of a Korean diplomat. He attended the University of Southern California at Los Angeles. Ahn got his first film acting job in 1935 and quickly made a place for himself playing Asians of many ethnicities. Although his kindly demeanor made him perfect for sympathetic roles, he could excel in the occasional villainous "Yellow Peril"-type role. Condemned, like most Asian actors of the period, to stereotypical roles, Ahn nevertheless brought a dignity to even the most subservient of characters. In his later years he achieved his greatest fame as the wise Master Kan on the television series Kung Fu (1972). Ahn was also a successful Los Angeles restaurateur. He died in 1978. Not to be confused with his brother, actor Philson Ahn.

Born in America of Korean ancestry, Philip Ahn was just one member of the tiny fraternity of Oriental actors who livened the Hollywood screen during the 1930's and later. (Others of note were Keye Luke, Victor Sen Yung, Richard Loo and Benson Fong.) As often as not, Philip Ahn portrayed villainous Japanese or else "inscrutable, " proverb-spouting stereotypes.

Trivia (11)

Philip Ahn passed away on February 28, 1978, a month away from what would have been his 73rd birthday on March 29.

He died after suffering from complications from surgery for a biopsy for lung cancer, which led to pneumonia.

Short biography in "Extraordinary Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders" by Susan Sinnott.

He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6211 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on November 14, 1984.

He posthumously became the first Asian-American actor to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 14, 1984.

Following his death, he was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in Los Angeles, California.

Best remembered by the public for his role as the wise Master Kan on Kung Fu (1972).

Attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.

His father, Ahn Changho, was one of the first prominent Korean-Americans, and an activist for Korean independence. He helped to write the lyrics to the South Korean national anthem and modernize the country's schools. His sister, Susan Ahn Cuddy, was the first Asian-American woman to join the U.S. Navy, eventually reaching the rank of lieutenant and becoming its first female gunnery officer.

Received death threats during World War II, as he was often mistakenly assumed to be Japanese.